The present invention relates to a vehicle seat having a folding mechanism, in particular, it relates to a vehicle seat having a folding mechanism which enables a second seat of a minivan to be slidable forward and backward relative to a vehicle and enables the second seat to be used as a table.
A second seat of a minivan according to the related art is constructed such that by folding the seat back forward to a predetermined inclination angle, the second seat advances forward on the floor of the vehicle to facilitate getting in and out of the rear seat via the rear door. There are also second seats that are usable as a table by further folding the seat back from the predetermined forward inclination angle into the seat cushion.
A second seat in this instance comprises a seat reclining apparatus and a seat-slide apparatus, which in combination give a so-called “walk-in” capability. This sort of capability facilitates entry-exit to or from the third seat by propelling the second seat forward when the seat back thereof is folded forward to create more clearance for a passenger.
The second seat is mounted on the seat-slide apparatus to be slidable thereon backward and forward relative to the vehicle. The second seat is under constant urging of a spring to move forward, but is fixable at any desired position along the seat-slide apparatus in a state herein called “seat lock” by means of a locking mechanism of the seat-slide apparatus. With reference to a seat reclining apparatus Sa in FIG. 14, by folding the seat back forward, an arm plate 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow and a pin 5, which is formed integrally on arm plate 2, contacts with an end of a walk-in lever 6 to rotate walk-in lever 6 counter-clockwise according to FIG. 14, causing a wire end 7 of a wire 8 to be pulled upward toward seat reclining apparatus Sa. Wire 8 is connected to the locking mechanism of the seat-slide apparatus, and while the locking mechanism is urged to be locked to prevent seat sliding, pulling of wire 8 causes the locking mechanism to unlock, letting the seat be slidable.